The British company making microchips in space

Established in 2018 after a chat in the pub, Space Forge has just raised a record-breaking amount of money to manufacture next-gen supermaterials in space. With the wild idea of using cosmos conditions to create next level materials and a £10 company registration fee, Joshua Western and Andrew Bacon’s company now employs over 70 people and is considered one of the UK’s most exciting deep-tech startups.

Using its £22.6million funding package — the largest ever for a UK space tech company — it will make everything from semiconductors and pharmaceuticals to smart alloys in the cosmos, because the conditions are so perfect. For any Star Wars fans out there, they’ve even dubbed it ‘The Forge Awakens’.

The funds will propel the development of ForgeStar-2, its next-generation returnable satellite, and support the 2025 launch of ForgeStar-1, a pioneering platform set to demonstrate in-orbit manufacturing, where microgravity can help create microchips and materials so major industries operate more efficiently on Earth.

“This funding marks a significant milestone — not just for Space Forge, but for the entire space economy,” says Western, who proudly displays a piece of kapton foil from Apollo 11 on his desk. “With the backing of our investors, we’re accelerating our mission to make space a practical and accessible platform for industrial-scale manufacturing. Our upcoming launches will prove that the future of materials innovation lies beyond Earth, helping us build a more secure, sustainable, and technologically advanced world.”

Orbital manufacturing leverages the unique environment of space, where vacuum and temperature extremes can develop high-performance materials difficult or even impossible to produce on Earth. Space Forge’s reusable satellites return these materials to us to supercharge everything from data centres to quantum computing.

For the automotive sector — a key focus for Space Forge — these space-made semiconductors could halve charging times for EVs and enhance powertrain efficiency, paving the way for greener, faster mobility. Equally exciting is the potential for these materials to outperform anything made on Earth, cutting emissions by up to 75 per cent in the process and reducing energy usage in AI applications. As Industry Minister Sarah Jones notes, “This is great news for the UK’s space industry, and a vote of confidence in the cutting-edge advanced manufacturing technology Space Forge is pioneering in Wales.”

Space Forge’s breakthrough isn’t just exciting—it’s potentially mission critical. “Demand for computing power is doubling every two months. Europe imports 80 per cent of its chip supply, with 90 per cent of the world’s most advanced semiconductors coming from Taiwan,” says Daria Saharova, General Partner at World Fund, among those backing the business.

“A geopolitical escalation there could have catastrophic consequences for Europe. We urgently need a resilient, homegrown supply of the next-gen supermaterials required for the future of computers. We also need this homegrown chip supply to be produced sustainably."

“Space Forge’s in-space manufactured semiconductors can reduce energy usage by 75 per cent — by harnessing unique space conditions of microgravity, vacuum and low temperatures. We first backed Space Forge in 2021, long before the link between climate and computing was obvious. This link is clear as day now. We’re thrilled to continue supporting them as they scale, and we’re excited to welcome the NATO Innovation Fund on this journey.”

In another historic achievement, Space Forge is the first UK company granted a licence by the UK Civil Aviation Authority to establish manufacturing services in space. However, the ForgeStar-1 satellite will actually launch from the US later this year aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 reusable rocket.

Space Forge is able to reuse its satellites thanks to an innovative Pridwen heat shield, which should ensure safe re-entry without the need for ablative technology — in other words, burning away to absorb and dissipate heat. Unlike traditional heat shields that degrade with each use, Pridwen’s high-temperature alloy design unfolds for re-entry and radiates heat away, enabling cost-effective, sustainable missions. FOS Future Lab visitors will get to see a mechanised scale model of the heat shield up close.

ForgeStar-2, the next-generation platform, will scale this capability, producing materials with a value exceeding launch costs. Its larger design and enhanced reusability aim to make in-space manufacturing a commercially viable reality.

For every kilogram of CO₂ emitted during a ForgeStar launch, an estimated 15 tonnes are prevented from entering Earth’s atmosphere through the use of these supermaterials—something we get behind at FOS Future Lab, where showcasing technologies that drive sustainability and innovation is our raison d’être.

One of the headline Mobility for Humanity exhibitors at this year’s Festival of Speed, Space Forge’s work is so significant it’s caught the eye of FOS Future Lab ambassador, Tim Peake. As well as a 1:1 model of a ForgeStar satellite, visitors to FOS Future Lab will get to experiment with re-entry using scale models and inspect the kind of semiconductors being made in space.

Space Forge’s story is as much about sustainability as it is about innovation. By producing materials in orbit, they’re breaking new ground while addressing pressing global challenges. Dr Paul Bate, CEO of the UK Space Agency, highlights this dual impact: “By transforming the way we manufacture high-performance materials, Space Forge is not only pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in orbit, but will also deliver real-world benefits on Earth—from cleaner energy to more secure supply chains.”

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The 2025 Festival of Speed takes place on 10^th-13^th July. Thursday tickets are now limited. A small batch of extra tickets for Friday–Sunday have just been released, exclusively for members of the GRRC.